after replacing cage spring, problem with chain tension

*** Please go forward to my next post on this thread for the chain tension issue.

Theres nothing online about this, but i do see spare parts on the sram catalog.

The cage spring broke on my 2010 X7 9 speed thats only worked 1 year & i have a brand new X5 rear mech that i saved for part after i broke it, can i remove the cages and install the X5 spring on the X7?

How do i remove the cage?

A detailed ansrwer will probably save my weekend riding, and will guarantee your place in heaven

Last edited by enduroXtreme; 01-23-2013 at 02:41 AM.
Reason: new issue occured

The spring in the knuckle, not the parallelogram, right? The internal spring is replaceable, the parallelogram (external) spring is not.

I can't guarantee that they are interchangeable, but there is a small clip on the knuckle of the X7 (and I'm assuming on the X5). You can pop it out using a small flathead screwdriver as a lever, but be careful, as it will go flying. Do it inside a box.

The derailleur will then pull apart, again, with a bit of force, and likely send the spring flying. You will note two holes for the spring inside the knuckle--one is for high tension, one for low. You will have to set the spring tension, additionally, by winding the lower cage as you reassemble it (this part is tricky, as the stop is built into the knuckle/cage on X7 and below).

Warranty repair? You won't be good for this weekend probably but it'll be replaced. Maybe your friendly LBS will let you borrow a cheap derailleur for the weekend?

Or:
I repaired the spring on my X0 rear derailleur. Yes, the parallelogram spring. I cut the broken link off and used pliers to bend it to wrap around the pivot. It works fine and actually improved performance with increased spring tension. The X0 has a titanium spring, which in theory should actually be harder to bend without snapping the metal.
On the other hand, I could NOT get the cage off my X9 rear derailleur. I actually cut the broken long cage on the same X0 derailleur, then drilled a new pulley hole and made it a short cage.
Good luck with your derailleurs.

There are two holes in the knuckle, but they are not terribly obvious, what with the grease inside. Pop the spring in the knuckle first, then grease up the cage spindle, and gently set the spring into the hole on the cage. Wind the cage until you absolutely have to slip it over the stop.

Full disclosure: the X7 that I am referencing is the older composite cage 10 speed. It may look differently internally.

When it comes time to replace the derailleur completely, consider the X-9 or above, as the stop is removable from the cage, very easy to add tension to the spring.

Thank you. on the X7 9 speed we did not fint that extra hole that we did see on the X5. Right now i wonder if shortening the chain on my covert would solve this as the tenstion is improving as much as the cage is pulled forward, a link or two not more than that.

You could take a link (1 inner plate and 1 outer plate) off, but beware that you will effectively cut off the use of small-small; assuming your chain is properly sized (lots of threads on this, won't go into detail) you can bust your chain/derailleur if the shock compresses all the way in that particular combo with a shortened chain.